The Tiger and the Dragon: Secrets
by Snafu the Great
Summary: A young girl arrives in Japan in search of the father she never knew...FINAL CHAPTER ADDED.
1. Part One

The Tiger and the Dragon: Secrets  
  
A Street Fighter Fanfiction  
  
By The Headcrook  
  
Legal BS Disclaimer: All characters (with the exception of my own) are the property of Capcom Entertainment. For a while I've toyed with the idea of Ryu having another child--a daughter with one of the other female Street Fighter ladies, so I chose Juli. I've been cooking on this fic for a bit, so I decided to write this. Send all comments and flames to headcrook@yahoo.com  
  
Side Note: Here are Maiya's stats, in case anyone is wondering...  
  
Maiya Hoshi  
  
Age: 14   
  
Height: 5'6"  
  
Weight: 105  
  
Fighting Style: Basic Shotokan Karate (Juli has Ryu's combat data, so she   
  
taught Maiya some of Shotokan), Jujitsu and various styles of sword fighting.  
  
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal  
  
Parents: Juli and Ryu Hoshi  
  
Part One:   
  
-Sora, Japan--six years after the Millenium Contest...-  
  
Inside the Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant, Chun Li Hoshi had just finished closing the place down for the night. Clad in her Mandarin-style dress, she looked around the place and sighed.  
  
Six years had passed since the fiasco at the Millenium Contest in Osaka. Gouki Akuma, Ryu's uncle and longtime nemesis, was dead, and Ryu, heir to the Dark Hadou, inherited the title of 'Supreme Master of Fists.' Sagat had challenged Ryu to a match and Ryu won, thus ending the feud between them once and for all. Bison, after a dramatic battle, was also killed, and Geese Howard was crippled for life. Ryu, on the other hand, continued to fight and train their two children, now thirteen. Ryu himself was pushing thirty-seven, but looked the same as he did in the Second Street Fighter Tournament. Chun Li herself would turn thiry-five the following April, but she didn't look a day over twenty-nine.  
  
Life was peaceful, and Chun Li felt like she had found her niche in the world. From Interpol agent to businesswoman and martial artist, ever since moving from Japan to Hong Kong, she felt at peace with herself.  
  
She was so caught up in her reverir that she didn't notice the lone figure sitting at a table at the far end of the restaurant. Chun Li approached the person, whose face was concealed by the menu she was holding.  
  
"Excuse me, wer're closed," Chun Li said politely. "Please come back tomorrow."  
  
The woman lowered the menu. Chun Li recognized her immediately as the mysterious fortuneteller Rose. The purple-haired woman hardly aged at all, but she had traded in her fighting attire for a simple business suit. She did, however, keep her trademark yellow scarf, which was at the moemnt draped over shoulders. "Chun Li Hoshi," Rose greeted. "Just the person I wanted to see."  
  
Chun Li nodded her head in greeting. "Rose. It's been a while." She took a seat. "So what brings you to my humble establishment?"  
  
Rose smiled enigmatically. "Well, like I said before, I came to see you. It's concerning Ryu."  
  
Chun Li became slightly alarmed. "What about Ryu?"  
  
Rose raised her hand. "It's nothing concerning the Dark Hadou. You two have successfuly conqured it. It's...something else."  
  
"What?"  
  
In a flash, Rose had her stack of tarot cards in her hands. She pulled out one and placed it on the table. "A secret...a secret not even Ryu knows of, will come to him in the following days." Off Chun Li's glare, she added, "Ryu will need your support on this. Just as he helped you with your Dark Hadou, you must help him with this."  
  
"What are you saying?" Chun Li asked.  
  
Again, Rose gave her one of her mysterious smiles. "You used to be the agent. That you can find out on you own."  
  
***  
  
-Shotokan School of Karate/Hoshi Family Residence-  
  
Rose's words were on Chun Li's mind as she climbed the stairs to the place she has called home for over a decade. Ryu wasn't in the dojo praticing, so she entered the cottage. Her two children, Hanzou and Mei were sparwled out in the living room, fast asleep while one of Fei Long's movies was playing on the television.  
  
She slipped past them and continued on. Upon arrivng at the study, she saw that the door was slightly open. Ryu was definitely in there.  
  
She knocked on the door. "Ryu?"  
  
"Come in," he replied.  
  
Chun Li opened the door and entered the room. Seated behind a desk, was the youngest Shotokan grandmaster ever, Ryu Hoshi. He still looked the same, save that he was starting to grow a beard. Instead of his usual karate gi, he was dressed in a tanktop and a pair of black pants. He was reading a book, but looked up when Chun Li entered the room.  
  
Ryu smiled. "Hi there."  
  
"Hey," Chun Li replied. "What you're reading?"  
  
"Sun Tsu, 'The Art of War.' One of my favorites. Hard day?"  
  
Chun Li nodded and sat down in a chair. "Hectic, as usual. What about you?"  
  
"Hanzou and Mei's training is coming along. Soon it will be next month, and it will be you turn to train them in Kung Fu, and I can get a break."  
  
Chun Li smiled faintly. Ryu scaned his companion's face. "Chun, is there something wrong?"  
  
Chun Li bit her lip. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Shoot."  
  
'I can't believe I'm going to ask him this,' Chun Li thought as she took a deep breath. "Ryu...were you ever...intimate with anyone else other than me?"  
  
Ryu's expression fell. He looked at Chun Li for a long moment, deciding whether or not she could handle his answer. He leaned back in the chair and replied, "When I was travelling, yes."  
  
Chun Li folded her arms across her chest. "I'm listening."  
  
Ryu leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "It was during the time when we had broken up. You was in New York working your way through the ranks of Interpol, and I was chasing after Akuma. About a year before the Second Street Fighter tournament I was on the tail end of my journey when I ran into Juli."  
  
Chun Li recognized the name. "Juli? One of the dolls that worked for Shadowlaw?"  
  
"One and the same," Ryu replied. "She was kicked out of the Shadowlaw for having failed to capture me for the first time when I started travelling. It was near Hong Kong when she found me and challenged me to a rematch. It ended in a draw, but she had newfound respect in her abilitues, as were mine.   
  
"One night, I thought she had went her own seperate way after our match, but she returned. One thing led to another...and we ended up in bed together. We stayed that way for two days, and on the third day, she left, and I haven't heard from her sense. It was just a fling, and I thought that meant something, but I was wrong."  
  
"Have you told anyone else about you little one night stand?" Chun Li asked. She didn't even sound angry. After all, she and Ryu were seperated at the time, so that really didn't count as cheating.  
  
Ryu shook his head. "Not even Ken know about it." He sighed. "Why are you askimg me about my past?"  
  
Chun Li shrugged her shoulders. "It kept nagging at me, what you were doing on your travels, so I had to ask."  
  
"Are you mad?" Ryu asked.  
  
Chun Li shook her head. "No. You didn't cheat on me, and we were seperated at the time, so you're pretty much in the clear." She stood up and kissed her husband on the cheek. "I'm going to bed. Good night."  
  
"'Night," Ryu replied. He watched her leave the study. 'What was that all about?' he wondered. 


	2. Part Two

Part Two  
  
-Sora Train Station, Sora, Japan, several days later...-  
  
A fourteen-year old girl stepped off a train and onto the platform. She looked around the platform, watching the townspeople with almond-shaped brown eyes, moving along, going about their business. She was an exotic mixture of European and Japanese ancestry, with medium-length auburn hair tied into a ponytail. She was dressed in a spagetti-strap halter top which was partially concealed by the denim jacket she wore, blue jeans and a pair of tennis shoes. Slung over her shoulder was a knapsack and in her other hand, was a huge sportsbag.  
  
Balancing her belongings, the girl made her way through the station, until she reached the entrance. A parked taxi was parked nearby, the driver inside reading a newspaper. The girl picked up her bags and strolled over to the taxi.  
  
"Excuse me," she said in perfect Japanese.   
  
The driver looked up. "Where to?" he asked.  
  
The Eurasian girl opened the door, tossed her bags inside and got in the cab, slamming the door behind her. "Shotokan School of Karate, please," she said.  
  
The driver nodded and pulled off. As the cab made its way down the road, the girl looked out the window, a melachony look on her face. the cab driver noticed this. "You okay? Something wrong?"  
  
The girl shook her head. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."  
  
The driver shook his head and continued driving.  
  
***  
  
-Shotokan School/Hoshi Residence-  
  
Inside the dojo, Ryu--dressed in a grey-blue karate gi (his white one was destroyed in the Millenium Contest)-- watched as his first pupil, now a grown woman in her mid-twenties, go through her meditation kata. Standing beside him was Chun Li, who decided to take the day off from her restaurant to meditate and train. Hanzo and Mei were somewhere in Sora and out of their parents' hair for the time being.  
  
Sakura Kasugano, wearing a light red karate gi, finished her kata just as Ryu approached. "You're improving, Sakura, but you're too tense. The point of a meditation kata is to release tension, to become one with yourself."  
  
Sakura nodded. "Sorry."  
  
"No need to apologize," Ryu replied. "Watch me."  
  
Before he could start his own kata, a voice interupped him. "Hello! Is anyone here?"  
  
The three martial artists turned to the door. "Who's that?" Sakura asked.  
  
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know," he replied. "Let's see who it is."  
  
***  
  
The girl watched in anticipation as the tall Japanese man in the karate gi stepped out of the dojo, followed by a younger Japanese woman and an older Chinese woman. The girl studied the man closely as he approached. The other two woman fell back.  
  
'So this is him, Mom,' she thought. 'This is my father. I have his eyes, maybe the smile.'  
  
"Can I help you?" Ryu asked.  
  
Steeling her nerves, the girl replied, "Are you Ryu Hoshi?"  
  
Ryu nodded. "Yes I am. Who are you?" For some reason, the girl reminded him of someone a long time ago.  
  
The girl swallowed. "My...my name is Maiya. I came here to look for my father."  
  
Chun Li immediately remembered her encounter with Rose and that she had told her: '...a secret not even Ryu knows of, will come to him in the following days...'  
  
"Okay, Maiya," Ryu replied. "I really don't know how I can be of help."  
  
Maiya bit her lip. "You're my father," she replied softly. "I came to Japan to look for you. My mother's name was Juli."  
  
Ryu immediately went white as a sheet, as did Sakura's. He got over his intial shock (and the extreme urge to pass out) and straightened. "I...I think we should...talk inside."  
  
***  
  
Seated at a table while Sakura poured some tea into cups, Ryu looked at the girl that claimed to be his daughter. The lukewarm tea helped calm his frazzled nerves as he got his bearings back together.  
  
"Mom used to talk about you, like you were some sort of saint," Maiya said. "She would tell me about the fighter that had destroyed Bison, and who had given her a second chance in life."  
  
"Where is Juli?" Chun Li asked.  
  
Maiya's face went dark. "She died three weeks ago. Car accident. I was staying with Aunt Juni in Hawaii when I received word. Her last request was that if she had died, that I should go to Japan and find you." She dug in her pocket and pulled out a envelope. She handed it to Ryu. "Mom wanted you to have this."  
  
Ryu opened the envelope and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. It was a letter, addressed to him.  
  
Ryu,  
  
If you're reading this letter, then the worse has happened. That night in   
  
Hong Kong...was the closest thing I'll ever get to becoming a woman. Out   
  
of everyone I had met, you saw that I had a chance in life, and I thank you.   
  
I am sorry, however for not telling you about Maiya. I was still on the run  
  
from Shadowlaw and I didn't want you involved in my life. I know it sounds   
  
selfish, but I was doing what was the best thing at the time.  
  
I was hiding in Lisbon when Maiya was born. I continued to move from place   
  
to place until I received word that you had killed Bison and the Shadowlaw   
  
was destroyed. When the idea of telling you about your daughter came to   
  
mind...I panicked. I didn't know how you would react, so I raised Maiya on   
  
my own. I used some of the combat data from our two matches and taught her   
  
the basics of Shotokan Karate, as well as my own style of fighting.   
  
From a distance, I've watched you...from the Third Street Fighter Tournament   
  
to the Millenium Contest in Osaka. Everytime I see you, it makes me glad that   
  
you are doing well, but I could never find the courage to face you and tell   
  
you about Maiya, our daughter. Please honor my final request and look after   
  
Maiya. She is better off with you instead of one of her other eleven aunts.   
  
She should have everything that she needs for you to take responsiblity: birth   
  
certificate, dental records, school transcripts, everything. Once more, I am   
  
sorry for not telling you about Maiya, and I hope you can forgive me.  
  
Juli  
  
Ryu read the letter again before putting it down. Sighing, he turned to Sakura. "Show Maiya to her room." He turned to Chun Li. "Come with me."  
  
***  
  
While Ryu was talking to Chun Li, Sakura lead Maiya to her new room. Maiya sighed. "He hates me, doesn't he?"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "Ryu doesn't hate you. He was caught off-guard and needs time to adjust to the fact that he has a second daughter. Believe me when I say that he seldom hates anyone, even if they deserve it."  
  
"What's you relationship to him?"  
  
Sakura leaned up against the dresser. "He's my sensei. He took me in after my family died and trained me in Shotokan. He's like a father to me."  
  
"What's Ryu like?" Maiya asked as she starts to unpack her belongings.  
  
"He can be rough at times, but kind, considerate, that sort of thing," the female Shotokan fighter replied. "So where were you and Juli before you came here?"  
  
"Before Mom settled down, we were all over the place," Maiya replied. "China, Korea, Brazil, several other places. Mom always had to stay ahead of Shadowlaw."  
  
She pulled out a framed picture from her bag and placed it on the nightstand. It was a picture of Maiya and Juli, both smiling. Maiya looked younger, but Juli had matured into a woman. Sakura looked at the photo. "That's your mom?" she asked.  
  
Maiya nodded. "Yeah. That's her."  
  
"She's very pretty," Sakura commented.  
  
"Thank you." Maiya paused for a moment. "Sometimes, I would come home, and see her staring out the window looking sad. Everytime I ask her what was wrong, she would say that it was noting. Now I see why she was so sad."  
  
"You don't blame Ryu for any of this, do you?"  
  
Maiya shook her head. "Of course not. I really can't hate my own father, even if I did met him today."  
  
Sakura smiled. She liked this kid right off the bat.  
  
***  
  
In the front yard of the dojo, Ryu was in serious thought. Chun Li watched him, concerned. "You really didn't know, did you?" she asked.  
  
Ryu shook his head. "No. I didn't. Why did Juli keep this from me for almost fifteen years?" He sat down on the porch.  
  
Chun Li sat down beside him. "She had her reasons." She smiled. "You know...I always did wanted another daughter."  
  
Ryu smiled. "Looks like you got your wish."  
  
***  
  
Later on that day, Hanzou and Mei had returned from the village. Ryu had introduced them to Maiya and they took her in. She was their older half-sister, after all.  
  
Later on that night, while everyone else was asleep, Ryu was in the study going over several books on Ansatsuken, the killing arts that Shotokan Karate was based on. For the past ten years, he had researched the Ansatsuken style, and had derived a style of fighitng that combined various elements from both styles. Rather than kill the opponent in one blow, Ryu's style would incapacitate them instead.  
  
He stopped studying for a moment and rubbed his eyes. He looked at the digital clock on the desk. It was 2:15 in the morning.  
  
As he resumed his studies, there was a knock on the door. Ryu looked up. "Yes?"  
  
The door opened and Maiya poked her head inside. "Am I disturbing you?"  
  
Ryu shook his head. "No, not at all. Come in."  
  
Maia walked inside the study. She looked around at the countless numbers of books that were piled on the shelves. "Wow. How many books you got?"  
  
"Close to nine hundred," Ryu replied. "Some of them are extremely rare, and they have been in my--well, our family for many years."  
  
Maiya scanned the bookshelves. "This place is nice," she said.  
  
"I grew up here," Ryu explained. "This cottage and dojo once belonged to my grandfather. He taught me Shotokan Karate. When he died, ownership was passed on to me. So what do you want to talk about?"  
  
Maiya turned from the bookshelves and took a seat in front of the desk. "I thought that since I can't sleep, being in a new place and all, I thought that I would like to get to know my father better."  
  
Ryu smiled. He would like that. For the next two hours, father and daughter talked and bonded. Ryu had found out that Maiya herself was a trained martial artist like her mother, having learned basic karate from one of her aunts and Juli style of fighting. Like Chun Li was also a sword enthusiast. Ryu offered to teach her Shotokan Karate, something that Maiya readily accepted.  
  
By the time Maiya had retired for the night, she felt a peace with herslef. A gaping part of her life has been filled. But she still missed her mother. She looked at the picture on her nightstand. Looking at her mother's face brought her some comfort, but she was still gone.  
  
'Mom,' she thought. 'I miss you.' 


	3. Part Three

Part Three  
  
[Flashback/Dream Sequence]  
  
-Mandarin Imperial Hotel, Hong Kong-  
  
Inside one of the hotel rooms, Ryu [about 15 years younger, older than Alpha version] watched the rain as it poured out over the Hong Kong skyline. A typhoon had struck the city and Ryu was forced to find a hotel to stay until the storm breaks.  
  
It has been six months since he had tracked down Gouki Akuma somewhere in India and avenged his fallen master after a grueling and dramatic battle. In the process, Ryu himself had almost succumbed to his own Dark Hadou. Had it not been for the Kabaddi master Dhalsim, he would had sufered the same fate as did Akuma.  
  
[Note: Kabaddi is Dhalsim's fighting style, NOT Yoga! I checked, trust me. You want a complete list of everyone's fighting styles, then e-mail me.]  
  
The knock on his hotel door was soft that Ryu did not hear it. He heard it the second time, though. Wondering who it could be, Ryu walked over to the door and opened it.  
  
Standing in the hallway, was Juli. Rather than her old Shadowlaw one-piece uniform, which she has long since discarded she was wearing a T-shirt over a military jacket, a scarf over her neck, a pair of black denim jeans, and her old pair of Shadowlaw-issued boots. Her hair was pulled into a neat ponytail and slung over one shoulder was a gym bag. Her left hand, which was holding an umbrella, was bandaged to the wrist, an injury she had accquired during their match three days ago.   
  
Ryu looked at her. "I thought you left town."  
  
Juli shook her head. "Couldn't. Aside from this injury and the fact that every plane is grounded from the typhoon, I thought it would be better it I can find a place to stay until the storm blows over. May I come in?"  
  
Ryu stepped to the side and Juli entered the room. Closing the door, Ryu asked, "How'd you know where I was?"  
  
Juli dropped the bag and turned around. "I'm an assassin, remember? Or used to be." She shrugged her shoulders. "Tracking down one's target is an assassin's requirements." She gave him a small smile. "It really wasn't hard, knowing where you stay and all."  
  
"Well, at least I know you're not gonna try and kill me."  
  
Juli gave Ryu a smug smile. "The thought crossed my mind," she said sarcastically. "But I like you, so consider youself lucky." She pulled off her jacket and tossed it in a nearby chair. "Can I take a shower?" she asked.  
  
Ryu nodded. "There are some towels in the bathroom."  
  
Juli nodded and walked into the bathroom, taking several articles of clothing with her. About 20 minutes later, Juli appreared, now fresh and clean from her shower. She had changed out of her clothes and into a pair of cotton shorts and a gray halter top, the straps of her bra were visible. Her hair was slightly damp and she was running a towel through it. She saw Ryu looking out at the Hong Kong skyline and joined him.  
  
She looked out into the city. "It's really nice, despite the rain." She then looked at Ryu. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
"My parents," he replied. "I'm three-quarters Japanese, and a quarter American. So is Ken. But I look more Japanese than American."  
  
Juli chuckled. "I really couldn't tell," she replied. "You know, I'm actually from Europe. Germany, actually. I was born in Frankfurt, but was raised in London. That's all I can remember about my childhood. When I was thirteen, I was...'recruited' into Shadowlaw, underwent genetic enhancements, and become an assassin. After that, it gets real hazy."  
  
"Funny. I always thought that you were English."  
  
"Most people think that way." She looked at her bandaged wrist and rung her hand.  
  
Ryu caught her looking at her injury and gently took the wrist in his own hand and began inspecting it. "How's your wrist doing?" he asked. Juli had sprained her wrist in their last battle and Ryu bandaged her up.  
  
"It's doing better," she replied. "At least the pain has dulled to an ache. You do a pretty good field dressing, for a nomad."  
  
"You learn some interesting things when you travel as much as I do," Ryu replied in a humorless tone.  
  
He was caught off guard when Juli gently slid her hand out from his and was now holding his wrist in a gentle, but firm grip. She then placed his open palm into the side of her face. Closing her eyes, she sighed softly as she felt him caress her face.  
  
The thought that was going through Juli's mind at the moment was, 'What the hell am I doing?' Ryu had wooed her without even trying, and the sensations that she was feeling at the moment were to her, foreign, and they scared her. But she didn't care. Ever since their first encounter, she felt a mutual attraction the Japanese martial artist and that she was with him, now, she was sure as hell not going to waste this opportunity.  
  
Ryu was caught under Juli's spell. Sure she was a former assassin, several years older than she was, but she still held an innocent quality to her. He moved his hand from her face and moved it to the back of her head. He pulled her closer to him. He could hear Juli's breathing becoming shorter.  
  
Ryu wrapped his free arm around Juli's waist, while at the same time, Juli wrapped her arms around Ryu's neck. At the same time, Juli stood on her tiptoes, while Ryu lowered his head. The resulting kiss was like two flammable chemicals creating fire. After what appeared to be an eternity, they parted, due to a lack of breath.  
  
Juli was visbly trembling at this point. Ryu took notice of this. "Juli..."  
  
She shook her head. "I'm alright, Ryu," she whispred.  
  
They met in another kiss. This time, Juli slipped her tongue into Ryu's mouth and they wrestled for superiority for a moment. Ryu's hands went to her shapely rear and he lifted her up into the air. Juli, almost by reflex, wrapped her lithe legs around his waist as Ryu began to attack her neck and jawline with his lips as he moved to the wall, effectively pinning her. Everywhere Ryu's lips touched felt like fire, and Juli moaned in approval.  
  
Juli's hands weren't idle. She told Ryu to stop for a moment so that she could get his tanktop off. He complied, and Juli managed to discard that bothersome piece of clothing. Even in battle, Juli knew that Ryu was muscular, but seeing him now in a sexual situation made her want him even more. He had a natural tanned complexion, his chest and arms radiating power. As they resumed kissng, Juli rain her hands over the muscles in his back, savoring the touch and texture. She released her legs from his waist and began to guide him back to the bed.  
  
They fell back onto the bed. Ryu and Juli laughed for a moment until she got back to her feet and pulled Ryu to a sitting position. She climbed into his lap, her face holding a seductive expression, her eyes burning with lust as she moved Ryu's hands to the base of her halter top and raised her hands over her head. Getting the point, Ryu slowly pulled the top over her head, revealing her bra-encased chest.  
  
Juli then pounced on Ryu and you can pretty much guess what happened next.  
  
***  
  
Midnight. It was still raining. Ryu and Juli were fast asleep, limbs intwined, a sheet covering their bodies for some modesty. Juli was on Ryu's chest, her hand on his shoulder. Ryu's large arms were draped across her back.   
  
Juli stirred, then opened her eyes. Ryu was still fast asleep. Clothes were strewn all over the place. Ryu stirs, and awakens himself. he looked down at the woman on his chest and smiles.  
  
"Hey," he said.  
  
"Hi," she whispered back. She slid up his body to give him a long kiss before resting her head back on his chest. She then began to shake slightly.  
  
Ryu looked down on her with concern. "Are you all right? Did I hurt you?"  
  
Juli looked at Ryu and shook her head. "No, Ryu. You didn't hurt me. I know you wouldn't. Can you just hold me, please?"  
  
Ryu complied and wrapped his arms around Juli's slender form. Once again, Juli moved up his chest so that she was resting her head underneath his chin.  
  
They stayed like that for about three hours. Then Juli leaned upwards and pecked Ryu on the lips. She moved down, trailing kisses along his shoulder, then back up his neck. The kissing lead to more kissing and caressing and foreplay which lead up to, shall we say, 'Round 2?'  
  
***  
  
Morning. The rain outside has weakened somewhat, but was still going. This time, it was Ryu who had woke up first. He looked at Juli, who was this time, sleeping next to him. Still feeling drained from the previous night, Ryu opted to stay in the bed instead.  
  
The only time either person got up was either to go to the bathroom, or to the hotel's restaurant for food. After that, they were in bed again.  
  
The next morning, Ryu woke up, only to find Juli gone...  
  
...and the rain had stopped.  
  
[End Flashback/Dream]  
  
***  
  
Ryu woke up with a start. He was still in his study, the notes on Shotokan Karate still still in front of him. He was also sweating buckets.   
  
Leaning back into his chair, Ryu glanced at the small digital clock. It read 7:45 a.m. He usually got up earlier than that, but had forgotten to set the alarm.  
  
Pushing the thought of Juli out of his mind, he got up and stretched. 'Damn it. I am never going to sleep in the study again,' he thought. 'I'm sore as hell.'  
  
He stepped out of the study...and bumped into Chun Li, who was dressed in her warmup outfit, which consits of an old blue sweater and jogging pants. her crimson-sreaked brown hair was done up in a bun.  
  
Chun Li giggled at her grouchy-looking husband. "Good morning, sunshine," she said.  
  
"Hardy har har. It is to laugh," Ryu replied.  
  
"I saved you some hot water," Chun Li added.  
  
Ryu grunted as he shambled into their bedroom.  
  
***  
  
-Thirty Minutes Earlier...-  
  
The alarm clock on the nightstand began to ring. Maiya's hand made several attempts to punch the snooze button. Frustrated with her attempts, she managed to knock the offending timepiece off the nightstand, effectively silencing the bothersome object.  
  
Groaning, she sat up in the bed and yawned. Swing her legs out to the edge of the bed, she stood up and stretched, feeling refreshed from her sleep. She threw several punches which was followed by a vertical axe kick. Gathering some articles of clothing from the dresser, and some toiletries she made for the bathroom. About ten minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, fresh from her morning shower, and dressed in a black tanktop with the words YOU CAN FLY stitched in small text on the front and a pair of baggy sweatpants.  
  
Pulling back her hair, she tied it into a ponytail that would remind someone of a certain zombie-killing female biker ;). She walked into the living room, gingerly stepped passed her sleeping siblings, and out the house.  
  
Walking barefoot, she crossed the courtyard and stepped into the Shotokan Dojo. Maiya took in the simpleness of the massive training area, which was about the same size as her aunt Satsuki's kendo school in Tokyo.   
  
[Satsuki is the Japanese Doll. Her name means May in Japanese.]  
  
In one corner of the dojo, stood an arsenal of weapons. That caught the teen's attention. She walked over and began inspecting the weapons.  
  
'Hmm...spears, nah...tonfas, nope...nunchucks, maybe later...ah-ha.'  
  
Maiya stops at several Chinese-style swords. A small smile srept across her lips as she picked up two Chinese broadswords. She swung them a couple of times to test their durability, then moved to the center of the dojo.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she began her kata. (Remember Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, when Bruce was praticing with those two swords with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background? Maiya's form is something like that.)  
  
Maiya Asanna Hoshi was a sword enthusiast. It was something she had picked up from her Aunt Satsuki, who, like her mother, a former Shadowlaw assassin and was an expert with swords herself. Aside from Juli training her, Satsuki had also trained Maiya in several styles of swordfighting, inclding Japanese Kendo and Chinese swordplay.  
  
Lost in her kata, Maiya finds herself. She herself was a martial arts champion in her right, having won her first junior championship at the age of ten. Her style of sword fighting was a hybrid of both styles. She was so caught up in her praticing what she didn't notice Chun Li enter the dojo.  
  
For a long time, the Chinese martial artist watched Ryu's Eurasian daughter, mesmerized by her skills. Chun Li herself was an expert in Chinese swordfighting, and was a former champion.  
  
"Not bad, Maiya," Chun Li said as Maiya finished her kata.  
  
Maiya snapped out of her daze and looked at Chun Li. "Oh. Good morning, Chun Li. I thought that I was the only one who gets up early. Where's Dad?"  
  
"In the shower," Chun Li replied. She looked at the swords. "Those two are my favorites."  
  
Maiya casually spun them. "I know. They're exquisite."  
  
Chun Li moved over to the weapons stand. "If only Hanzou and Mei had your enthusiasm over weapons. They would rather fight hand-to-hand. Ryu is the same way. He learned Kendo when he was about your age along with Shotokan Karate, but is better with his hands and feet."  
  
"If you don't mind my asking, what's your style of fighting?" Maiya asked.  
  
"Wushu Kung Fu and Chinese Kenpo. Say..." Chun Li picks up a Chinese straight sword from the stand. "...how about a friendly match? Weapons only."  
  
"Okay," Maiya replied. "I accept your challenge."  
  
Chun Li smiled and turned around. "You're just like Ryu, all right. He never turns down a challenge."  
  
Maiya backed up as Chun Li moved to the center of the dojo. "Neither did my mother. Ready?" she asked, moving into a defensive stance.  
  
Chun Li did the same. "I'm ready."  
  
Both women silently counted to three, then...  
  
"YAAAAAAHHHH!!!"  
  
"HYAAAAAHHHH!!!"  
  
***  
  
Back in the house, Ryu, now dressed in a grey-blue karate gi (his Champion Edition outfit) and crimson headband, stepped into the dining room, where Hanzou and Mei--now awake--were finishing their breakfast.   
  
"Morning," Ryu greeted his two children.  
  
"Morning, Dad," Hanzou greeted.  
  
Mei nodded good morning, since at the present time she had a mouthful of cereal.  
  
As Ryu moved to the kitchen to fix him a cup of lukewarm tea, the unmistakable sounds two women screaming out their battle cries, followed by the sounds of a fight, rang in from the dojo.  
  
His two children caught the sounds as well. Ryu, not in a hurry, poured some tea into a cup, downed it in one gulp and set off towards the dojo, Hanzou and Mei following close behind.  
  
***  
  
Inside the dojo, the battle had waned down into a standoff, but nether Chun Li nor Maiya was ready to yield. During the battle Chun Li came up with another sword in order to fight more fairly with Maiya.  
  
Maiya was impressed. Only one other person could have matched Chun Li's skill, and that was Satsuki.  
  
The two charged again, swords flying, clashing against one another. Maiya knocked Chun Li's sword out of one of her hands and Chun Li reponded by doing the same thing. Maiya was moving incredibly fast, mainly because she had inherited some of her mother's Psycho Power. Chun Li herself moved with the power of the Dark Hadou, something that she had inadvertantly gotten from Ryu nearly twenty years ago.  
  
In one giant swing, Maiya knocked the last sword out of Chun Li's hand...  
  
...which sailed across the dojo, blade-first, like a projectile...  
  
...and Ryu, who was standing at the dojo's entrance, alongside Hanzou and Mei, without blinking and eye, cocked his head to the side, thus avoiding the blade, and snapped his hand up and caught the sword's handle, while Hanzou and Mei ducked out of the way of the incoming weapon.  
  
Maiya blinked. She didn't even notice Ryu and her half-siblings standing there.  
  
"What this?" he asked. "The next thing in female bonding? Try and impaling me?"  
  
Chun Li sheepishly grinned. "Sorry about that. Maiya's pretty good. She managed to defeat me."  
  
"I can see that," Ryu replied.  
  
Hanzou and Mei rushed over to Maiya and congratulated her. "That was awesome!" Mei said.  
  
"I never saw someone beat Mom in a sword match before," Hanzou said.  
  
Maiya beamed. "Thanks."  
  
Ryu tossed the sword back to Chun Li, who returned the discarded weapons back to their posts. "Okay, now that I have my workout for the morning, I have to get another shower so I can be prepared for the lunch hour. Why not show Maiya around Sora and come to the restaurant for lunch?"  
  
"Is my credit still good?" Ryu joked.  
  
Chun Li playfully punched him on his bare arm. "You eat there for free, idiot. Keep trying your luck and next time, I'll make you pay, husband or not."  
  
***  
  
Later on, Ryu challenged Maiya to match. Maiya, wearing one of Mei's extra karate gis, barely defeated her father, something that Mei and Hanzou can only do when they double team him. After Ryu and Maiya had gotten cleaned up, The Shotokan master took his three children to Sora Village, where they showed Maiya around the town. After the tour, they went to Chun Li's restaurant, where they enjoyed a nice lunch. After that, Ryu and his three charges headed back home.  
  
Little did they know that they were being followed.  
  
***  
  
Ryu, Hanzou, Maiya, and Mei were halfway across the dojo's courtyard when Ryu stopped in his tracks, his Dark Hadou-enhanced senses kicking into overdrive. Someone else was there with them.  
  
Ryu spun around, tensing for a fight, his first priority was to defend his children.   
  
Instead, two women were standing there. One was Japanese with shiny black hair twisted into a single braid, dressed in all black and was carrying a slender bundle in her right hand. Her companion was European, shorter, with chestnut bangs that was neatly arranged on her head. Unlike the Japanese woman, she was wearing a smart navy blue business suit.  
  
Maiya recognized the two women immediately. "Aunt Juni. Aunt Satsuki." She rushed forward and first embraced the Japanese woman in a hug.  
  
Ryu turned to Hanzou and Mei. "You two, in the house. Now."  
  
Hanzou and Mei rushed off into the house.  
  
Satsuki hugged her niece back. "You've grown the last time I've seen you, young Maiya."  
  
Maiya then hugged Juni next. Juni had grown up since Ryu had last seen her some fifteen years ago. When Ryu first saw her, she was a skinny sixteen year old working as a Shadowlaw assassin. Now, at the age of thirty-one, Juni had grown (in more ways than one ;P), but still had her short hairstyle. Unlike Satsuki, who had gone legit, as well as several of the other dolls, Juni worked as an assassin-for-hire, but her cover was running a modeling agency in Honolulu.  
  
Now she was in Japan, and had a serious score to settle with Maiya's father.  
  
Juni pushed Maiya aside and confronted Ryu. "Hoshi," she said in a cool tone, her auburn eyes dangerous.  
  
Ryu looked down at her. "Juni. It's been a long time."  
  
Juni cut to the chase. "Why didn't you look for Juli when she had your child?"  
  
Ryu sighed. He saw this coming a mile away. He responded with another question. "Why didn't Juli come looking for me?" When Juni was about to reply, Ryu continued. "Up until yesterday, I didn't even know I had another daughter, which is why I will honor Juli's final request and take in Maiya."  
  
"What do you know about honor?" Juni shot back.  
  
Ryu was getting peeved, but kept his control. "Apparently, I know a lot more about honor than an former assassin," he sneered, ready for anything that the assassin threw at him.  
  
Juni's hands balled into fists. She wanted to inflict serious pain on Ryu, but not while Maiya was there watching.  
  
Maiya saw that this was escalating into something bad. The last thing she wanted was for her father and her aunt to start fighting.  
  
Satsuki saw Maiya's worried expression and decided to intervene. She insinuated herself between the older Japanese fighter and her partner, just as Juli was going to punch him in the face. "Juni, that's enough," she said in a calm tone. "He is right. Taking Maiya into his home is the honorable thing to do."  
  
Juli looked at Satsuki. "Are you going to back him? Even after what he did to Juli, our sister?"  
  
Satsuki raised a hand, silencing her furious companion. "It was not Ryu's fault that he didn't find out about Maiya when she was born. Juli just didn't know how to break the news to him. Not only that, she was constantly being pursued by Shadowlaw. If they found out that she had fathered Ryu's child, then they would have taken the both of them hostage and use them as a trump card to lure him into Shadowlaw. Eventhough it was wrong of Juli to keep this info from Ryu, she did the right thing. We all would have if we were in her place. Now if Ryu had refused to accept the fact that Maiya was his daughter, then his honor woulld be brought into question, right?"  
  
Grudgingly, Juni nodded. Satsuki, ever the level-headed one, had effectively nailed her down. "I guess."  
  
With Juni's anger reined in, Satsuki turned to Ryu. She cocked her head to one side and studied him for a moment before speaking. "My father once told me, 'It's pleasing to one's ancestors to see a man honored by friend and enemy alike.' I've heard a lot about you, Ryu Hoshi." She extended her hand. "I would like to shake the hand of the man who had defeated General Bison and released us from his power."  
  
Ryu extended his hand the the two shook. "Please take care of Maiya," Satsuki said. "She needs her father now."  
  
"I will," Ryu replied.  
  
Satsuki relinquished her hold on Ryu and turned to Maiya. She presented Maiya with the bundle in her hand. "I have something for you."  
  
Maiya unwrapped the bundle and gasped. In her hands was Satsuki's Murumasa sword, her favorite weapon, the blade inside a mahagony scabbard. A beautiful, yet deadly weapon.  
  
[Note: If you don't know what a Muramasa is, it's one of the two swords that Sodom uses in Final Fight (the other is a Masamune.) and in Street Fighter Alpha 3. Cheap bastard.]  
  
"Your sword," Maiya whispered. "Aunt Satsuki, I can't accept this. This is your most prized possession."  
  
Again, Satsuki raised her hand, silencing the young fighter. "It's all right, young Maiya. I have no further need for it anymore. The sword needs a new master, now, and I knew how much you wanted it."  
  
Maiya looked at her Japanese aunt, then at the sword in her hands. She pulled the sword partially out of the sheath, looking at the blade before slipping it back inside. She looked at Satsuki and bowed. "Aunt Satsuki...thank you."  
  
Satsuki bowed back. "You're welcome."  
  
The two former Shadowlaw assassins left without any further incident. Maiya removed the sword from its sheath and admired its blade, before once again, slipping the sword back into its sheath.  
  
***  
  
Nighttime. The house had settled down for the night, all except for Ryu, who was sitting on the dojo's rooftop, looking at the night sky, his mind occupied with thoughts of Juli and Maiya.  
  
He was so caught up in his reverie that he didn't notice a pair of slender hands on the roof's edge. In a gymnastic-style move, Chun Li gracefully flipped herself onto the tile roof.  
  
"I thought I find you here," she said, sitting next to him. "You weren't in the study. Is something wrong?"  
  
Ryu looked at his longtime companion for a moment before staring back into the night sky. He sighed. "You know...I did love Juli...in my own way. When you dumped me in order to pursue Bison, I was crushed, so I blocked my emotions out, only focusing on the next challenge and avenging Gouken. Then that night in Hong Kong, when Juli and I had gotten together, I thought that for a while, she could replace you, despite her past. But she left me as well."  
  
Chun Li listened in silence. Ryu was spilling his secrets out to her. Secrets he had kept for fifteen years.   
  
"When Juli left me...to tell you the truth, I don't know I felt," Ryu continued. "So I bottled my emotions up and once the typhoon had stopped, I continued my journey. When you tracked me down in Japan and when I saw you for the first time in three years at the Interpol Building, and even when you helped me to recover from my match with Bison, the walls began to crumble. Gouken--I mean Grandfather once told me 'Man cannot live by fighting alone.' After all this time, I finally understand." He turned to Chun Li. "We've been through a lot together, the Street Fighter Tournaments, the Millenium Contest, raising our children. Please tell me that I have been a good husband for the past fifteen years."  
  
Chun Li raised a hand and placed it on the side of Ryu's face. "Ryu...you have a lot to be proud of. You fight for what you believe in. You stood by me even at times when I pushed you away. You even turned out to be a better father than I ever thought you would be. I have my flaws, as do you, but you try to make up for them. You are a great husband. You have nothing to be ashamed of."  
  
Ryu knew when Chun Li was being sincere, and this time, she was telling him the truth.  
  
"You know, when I was working in Interpol," she said, "I always thought about you. How you were doing and all of that. When my father died, like you, I wanted to avenge his death, and I saw you as an obstacle, friend or no friend, lover or no lover, and I pushed you away instead of allowing you to help me. When I finally seen you after three years, half of me was happy that you were doing well, yet the other half of me was ashamed for what I did to you."  
  
Ryu looked at her while Chun Li stared straight ahead. "You are right, Ryu. We have been though a lot together. Good and bad. We shared a lot of things together; pain, joy, sorrow, love, the Dark Hadou." She ran her slender fingers through his hair and looked at him. "I love you, husband."  
  
Ryu moved closer to Chun Li. "And I, you, wife."  
  
***  
  
Inside Maiya's room, Maiya was fast asleep.  
  
Or was she?  
  
As Maiya layed in the bed, a woman's hand came and rested on Maiya's shoulder, gently rousing her from her slumber. "Maiya...Maiya, wake up."  
  
Maiya opened her eyes, allowing them to focus on the figure sitting on the edge of the bed.   
  
It was her mother.  
  
Juli.  
  
The former Shadowlaw assassin has aged ever so slightly, but was still an attractive woman. She was wearing a simple business suit, her favorite. Her hair was pulled into her trademark bun with several bangs framing her face.  
  
Tears ran down Maiya's face. "Mom," she sobbed as she collapsed into her mother's arms. "Mom..." she whispered as Juli held her. "I miss you so much."  
  
Juli held her daughter close. "I know. I know, Maiya. I miss you too."  
  
Maiya wiped her eyes and looked at her mother. Juli smiled a gentle, reassuring smile and patted her daughter on her head. "My darling Maiya. Do not mourn my passing. You are here with Ryu and his family now. They will take good care of you."  
  
"Mom..."  
  
Juli looked down at her daughter and smiled. "I will always be with you, my daughter. In mind, body, and spirit. I will be with you always..."  
  
***  
  
Maiya opened her eyes. She was back in her room in Japan. Breathing hard, she turned to the picture of her and Juli on the nightstand.  
  
"It was a dream," she told herself. "Just a dream..."  
  
Maiya wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. Instead, she took the photo in her hands and hugged it against her chest, the tears rolling down her face.  
  
'I will not cry,' she thought. 'Mom would not like that. She would want me to be strong, for her sake. I will not mourn my mother. I have already cried my share of tears. I, like Dad, will honor her memory instead, in everything that I will do. That I promise!'  
  
End.  
  
Notes: Well, that's it for this side fic. Other than 'Codename Justice,' I have some other projects that I'm working on, when I'm not too occupied with my private life, that is. Here's a complete list of all the Shadowlaw dolls and their specialties:  
  
Enero (Spanish for January) - Communications expert.  
  
Fevrier (French for Febuary) - Markswoman.  
  
Marz (German for March) - Information expert/computer hacker.  
  
Aprile (Italian for April) - Field medic.  
  
Satsuki (Japanese for May) - Expert with swords.  
  
Juni (German for June) - Vice-commander of the Shadowlaw Dolls. Known as 'Level-Headed Silent Killer.'  
  
Juli (German for July) - Commander of the Shadowlaw Dolls. Known as 'The Cold-Hearted Assassin.'  
  
Santamu (Vietnamese for August) - Expert in spear combat. Has a pet monkey.  
  
Xiayu (Chinese for September) - Expert with nunchuckus.  
  
Jianyu (Chinese for October) - Xiayu's partner. Fights with a quarter-staff.  
  
Noembelu (Spanish for November) - Fights with two hatchets. Possibly T. Hawk's sister.  
  
Decapre (Russian for December) - Wears a black mask on her face.  
  
Be on the lookout for an upgrade in my other fics and some new ones coming soon.  
  
The Headcrook 


End file.
